1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a container case for a card type recording medium to be used in an electronic device such as personal computer or an electronic digital camera. This invention further relates to a container case holder for such container case of a card type recording medium, and an electronic device using such card type recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
As well known, a card type device such as card type recording medium includes a memory card of a PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) technical standard, a Smart Media (Registered Trademark of Toshiba Corporation), a Compact Flash (Registered Trademark of U.S.A. SanDisk Corporation), a Memory Stick (Registered Trademark of Sony Corporation) or the like, and such card type recording medium is carried with electronic devices such as a personal computer or an electronic digital still camera in order to record or reproduce audio, video and/or text data to or from a semiconductor memory circuit packed in such card type recording medium. Conventionally such card type recording medium is carried together with an electronic device in an installed condition or the card type recording medium is carried in a pocket of a suit of a user, sometimes. In such case, dust in the pocket is possibly attached to connecting terminals of the card type recording medium, and accordingly these terminals tend to be often stained. Accordingly there causes incomplete connection to the electronic device, and sometimes connecting terminals or the card type recording medium itself tends to be damaged. Accordingly a container case for safely carrying the card type recording medium is conventionally known, such as disclosed in Japanese Non-examined Patent Publications Heisei-6-113915, Heisei-6-253918 and Heisei-7-308216, for example.
FIG. 24 shows one example of such conventional container case for a card type recording medium 100, in which a container case 101 is constituted in the shape of a folding wallet. That is, a plurality of small sized storage sections 103 are formed by sewing or by ultra-sonic welding on an inside of a first peace 101a of the container case 101, wherein one side of each of the small sized storage sections 103 is opened just like a bag, and a large sized storage section 104 is formed by sewing or by ultra-sonic welding on an inside of a second piece 101b of the container case 101, wherein one side of the large sized storage section 104 is also opened just like a bag. The card type recording medium 100 is inserted into or pulled out from a respective one of the small sized storage sections 103 of this container case 101 in a direction of an arrow a or b, and a card 105 such as business card, a cash card or the like is inserted into the large sized storage section 104. The container case 101 can be safely carried in a pocket of a suit in a folded condition.
Further, FIG. 25 shows another example of a conventional container case for the card type recording medium 100. A container case 106 comprises a main body 106a and a case lid 106b and a positioning member 107 made by a foam body and the like, and this positioning member 107 is fixed to the main body 106a by using a double sided adhesion tape (not shown in the figure). The positioning member 107 has a plurality of depression sections 108 each of which is a little bit smaller than an outer size of the card type recording medium 100, and those depression sections 108 are arranged in a lateral direction. Further each of the depression sections 108 has a notch part 109 formed in a semicircle shape as shown in FIG. 25, and each card type recording medium 100 is engaged in flat in each of the depression section 108 utilizing resilience of the foam body of the positioning member 107. The container case 106 is carried in a pocket of a suit with the main body 106a and the case lid 106b closed. When the card type recording medium 100 is taken out from the depression section 108, a finger-tip of a user is inserted to the semi-circled notch part 109 to pick up the card type recording medium 100 out of the depression section 108.
According to these conventional container cases 101, 106 constituted as described above, these container cases 101, 106 can carry more than one card type recording medium 100 at a time. But in the container case 101 as shown in FIG. 24, the card type recording medium 100 is inserted into the storage section 103 or is drawn from the storage section 103 by a finger-tip of a user. Further in the container case 106 as shown in FIG. 25, the card type recording medium 100 is squeezed into the depression section 108 or is pulled up merely by a finger-tip. Accordingly in the conventional container cases 101, 106, it is hard to recognize a mechanical feeling upon insertion and ejection of the card type recording medium 100 to and from the container case 101, 106, and if the container cases are opened unintentionally, the card type recording medium 100 may drop out from the container case 101, 106 by accident. The card type recording medium 100 may be destroyed by this drop at the worst case. In this way, the conventional container cases 101, 106 do not fit a merchandizing image of the card type recording medium 100 commercialized using very advanced technique. In addition, the degree of user satisfaction is low when taking into account that the selling price of this card type recording medium 100 is relatively expensive.
Accordingly an object of this invention is to present a new container case, a new container case holder and an electronic device or appliance using a card type device such as card type recording medium. The container case of the present invention gives a comfortable mechanical feeling to a user upon insertion and ejection of the card type recording medium, and in particular the reliability in the storing status of the card type recording medium is high and such operation for insertion and ejection can be done with one touch.
The container case for the card type recording medium of the present invention is provided with a resilient engaging means located at one side of a storage space for the card type recording medium, wherein the resilient engaging means is resiliently engaged with a depression section formed at one side and at a leading edge side of the card type recording medium inserted from an inserting entrance. Further, a resilient ejecting means is provided at a bottom of the storage space, wherein an ejecting power is charged in the resilient ejecting means by inserting and pushing the resilient ejecting means at the leading edge of the card type recording medium against the resilient ejecting means. In addition, according to the container case of the present invention, a rotation supporting section is provided at the one side of the storage space and at a shifted location toward the inserting entrance side from the resilient engaging means in the storage space of the container case, wherein the depression section of the card type recording medium is left from the resilient engaging means by pushing the other end section of the card type recording medium and rotating the card type recording medium at the rotation supporting section.
As described above, the container case for the card type recording medium of this invention gives a comfortable mechanical click feeling to a user when the card type recording medium is inserted in the storage space from the inserting entrance, and the resilient engaging means is resiliently engaged with the depression section provided at one side of the card type recording medium. And the resilient ejecting means charges the ejecting power by pushing the resilient ejecting means against the resilience by the leading edge of the card type recording medium. When the card type recording medium is pulled out from the inserting entrance, the other side of the end of the card type recording medium is lightly pushed with a finger of a user to turn, then the card type recording medium turns in a seesaw-like movement on the rotation supporting section, and the depression section is separated from the resilient engaging means. The card type recording medium is then automatically ejected with a pop-up motion from the inserting entrance by the ejecting power charged in the resilient ejecting means.